barbt1956's Reviews

A Quiet Place (2018)

10/10

1 May 2018

I am a 61 year old woman who avoids slasher movies like the plague and is really not all that interested in violence in films. So, I reluctantly admitted a movie with these kind of reviews was worth seeing. I, of course, was pleasantly surprised.

Although A Quiet Place has many traditional plot lines of a thriller, I enjoyed the unique aspects, especially the basic concept: noise of any kind would give away location and put the whole family in danger.

Given the tremendous amount of silence, it seems ironic to tout the script, but it is incredibly well done. The characters are so well drawn. We know little about the life they led before, but we learn so much about the thoughts and emotions of each family member. Amazing what the eyes can say.

The setting is a farm and the area is beautiful as well as creepy. The music certainly adds to this creepiness, as well. The ending is beautifully left vague but with a hope the strong women characters will prevail.

John Krasinski did an amazing job as both lead character and director. The only flaw I may have noticed had to do with the gun placement, but I may have missed something.

Otherwise, this is an example of the craft of filmmaking done exceedingly well. Everything is tight, the tension is constant, and the story is absorbing.

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Gone Girl (2014)

7/10

Missing Critical Aspects of the Book - total spoiler!!

19 February 2015

Warning: Spoilers

It is no surprise to me, or probably to anyone, that Gone Girl the movie is not as good as the book. First, it is hard to capture on screen what the imagination has created while reading. Secondly, it is hard to recreate in a couple of hours on screen what it takes 6 or more hours to read. It is this flaw that is a given when you adapt a film from a book.

However, my rating is not a reflection of this given, so much as a concern about the overall atmosphere of the film which leaves out some critical aspects of the book. I joke to my friends that Gone Girl is the first book I have read that I loved despite disliking pretty much every character. I don't think this is clear enough in the film.

In the book, the first several chapters are about the disappearance of Amy and the media frenzy surrounding it. This is true of the film as well, but I don't believe it does as good a job of demonizing Nick as is found in the book. Ben Affleck is just too sympathetic in portraying Nick, and you feel the mounting evidence as the trap it is, rather than convincing you he is guilty, as the book does. The appearance of Amy in the book is quite shocking, whereas it is not so much in the film. This is one of the aspects of the book that made it so popular - you are convinced in the beginning that it is likely Nick killed Amy and is covering it up. The film just does not give you this feeling.

Another flaw in the film is the portrayal of Amy's parents. It is so very clear in the book that Amy has been used by her parents all of her life. She has been a disappointment to them because she never lived up to their ideal of her as Amazing Amy. They are a totally selfish couple, in the book, that use Amy's disappearance as a way to further their own ends - and it helps their books to sell again. They have selfishly stolen her home and her trust fund, leaving her and Nick in a difficult situation. Their selfishness and use of Amy does not come off in the movie at all. They appear to be media savvy parents who are using their fame to aid them in finding Amy, when it is the opposite in the book - they are using Amy's disappearance as a way to push their own agenda and for self- promotion. In the book, these are not nice people. The movie just slides over their selfishness as a sort of "oh well". But, this is a critical factor to explain Amy's actions, especially at the end. Did anyone notice that Amy goes back to Nick and just blows off her parents? In the book, you know why.

Another critical aspect of the book that is fairly weak in the film is the relationship of Amy with Desi (Neil Patrick Harris). This is a wealthy man who has always been obsessed with Amy. Amy turns to him in her hour of need and he is thrilled to assist her. This is where the film falls flat - in the book this relationship almost immediately becomes sinister. Desi is not simply taking care of Amy and protecting her, he has her caged in his lake home without any ability to get out. She does not have access to a car, she cannot use a phone, she cannot use the internet, and the entire property is locked and inescapable. In the book, Amy has become desperate and is looking for any way she can escape Desi's entrapment of her. The action taken against Desi is the act of a desperate woman who sees no other way out of her predicament. In the movie it appears much more cold-blooded. In the book she is desperate to escape Desi and return to Nick.

Finally, the ending of the book and the ending of the film are the same, but the motivation is not clear in the film. So many people say they hate the way the movie ended. Well, that is because it is not made clear that regardless of how sick their relationship may be, Nick and Amy have always found that the other pushes them to be the greatest they can be and their lives would be boring without each other. Nick and Amy both reach this conclusion, and it is not just another of Amy's traps, as it appears in the film.

The film of Gone Girl makes Amy appear even more despicable than in the book, while glossing over the egregious actions of the other major players. This was the strength of the book. The film is good, but it just does not incorporate this total sense in the book that everyone gets what they deserve.

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Main Street (2010)

5/10

Not quite as bad as I expected, but really massively outdated

23 July 2012

As others have indicated, this was an amazing ensemble cast wasted by a truly poor script. But, I think the biggest issue here is the outdatedness of the issues identified. In the world of 2010 United States several factors are just wrong in this film.

I am wondering if Horton Foote actually wrote this script in the 1970's or 80's when the issue of Hazardous Waste was front and center. Yes, we still have concerns, but the use of nuclear energy is almost a given in our day and age. We rarely hear of hazardous waste spills, as the technology has so improved. We recognize that the risks often outweigh the benefits of a cleaner environment, but it is our reality until we can effectively convert to wind or solar energy to a large scale. The public demand, although present, just is not strong enough to get this job done. Therefore, hazardous waste is simply a fact of life today. In this script, I find Gus's fears of a spill far from believable, and cannot imagine him acting in the way presented.

In addition, Mary's issues as a woman are truly outdated. First, we are no longer the mobile society we once were. People do not just leave to find work in other cities. A woman like Mary would be much more inclined, in today's world, to stay in her home town and become an entrepreneur. Women do have more options today. Also, losing her job for not sleeping with the partner at the law firm is just so passé. In our world of diversity training and liability, Mary would win hands down in a lawsuit. In Main Street no one even blinks when she is fired for being unhappy about sexual harassment. Give me a break!! And, as for her calling Harris a potential loser, $30,000 as income for an entry level cop doesn't sound really all that bad! And, if Harris is planning to become an attorney in the Raleigh/Durham area, it sounds like he has a very good future. Mary's leaving, therefore, is questionable!

Bottom line for me, although I agree the script was pretty boring, I can imagine actors very interested in one written by a Pulitzer Prize winning author. But, watching this film, I felt like I was watching one of the preachy films of the 70's or 80's. It's biggest sin being it's irrelevance.

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Another Nice Mess (1972)

1/10

Truly one of the worst films ever made

16 August 2006

I have nightmares about this film! For years I thought I had made it up because I could not locate information about it anywhere. If you look up Rich Little's official website and his filmography, he will not admit to making this film. Little plays Richard Nixon as if he were Oliver Hardy and Herb Voland plays Spiro Agnew as if he were Stan Laurel. Sounds like a kick? It isn't. It is truly, truly awful. I have been a film buff since I paid $.25 to get into the Ritz theater as a little girl. I believe this may be the only movie in my life that I walked out on. And, I was a very politically aware teenager in the 70's, very anti-Nixon and his administration. I still found no redeeming value in this "spoof". No one should be forced to sit through this film and I am pleased to see that it has never made it to video or DVD.

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United 93 (2006)

8/10

Difficult to watch but unexpectedly of high quality

10 July 2006

I'm not certain exactly what I expected from this film, but the high quality of the production certainly beat my expectations. United 93 has a very strong feel of reality. It does not feel preachy nor is it forcing a "tug at the heartstrings" feeling. It does not even actually take a side. It simply says "this is what we believe happened". It portrays real people in a very shocking and terrible scenario as they attempt to identify what exactly is happening and what they can do to correct the problem and save lives.

This was a terribly difficult film to watch because we all know the story and the ending. But, I admire the film makers in the direction they took to simply let the story tell itself. And, they did it with great respect and with tremendous attention to detail. No over-acting, no over-used musical crescendos, but a tremendous amount of action and fine acting. A great script, as well. It may be too early for many Americans to watch, but it is a film I feel comfortable recommending to those who feel ready. It has a great sense of documentary, and I expect to see it shown in classrooms in the future.

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The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)

7/10

True to the Feel of the Book

9 June 2005

We often have expectations that a movie will follow a book to the letter. Due to time limitations, creative ideas, etc. the film makers often need to adjust the story from the book to fit the film. As a lover of both books and film I ask that those who turn a book into a film follow the spirit and the feeling of the book. I believe the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants director and screenwriters did just that.

Basically the book tells the story of 4 teenage girls who are experiencing their first summer apart ever, since they have known each other since birth. Unbelievably, they find a pair of jeans which fits each girl amazingly well, although they have very different body shapes. They take this to mean the pants hold some sort of magic, so promise to send the pants to each other throughout the summer and use it as a way of keeping in touch with each other (thus - the traveling pants). The pants are sent from Tibby (staying at home) to Bridget (in Baja California, Mexico at Soccer camp) to Carmen (with her father in North Carolina) to Lena (visiting her grandparents in Greece).

Three of the story lines are very true to the book, although with slight variations. Tibby's storyline is almost a perfect match to the book, Bridget's is close, and Carmen's is slightly varied showing her in a less mature light than in the book. Lena's story, on the other hand, is told completely in reverse of the book. However, I can understand the need to make this change, as the twists and turns of Lena's story in the book would have been difficult to project onto film. The end result: the girls experience the same issues in the movie as they did in the book, and they change in the way the book indicated. The "feel" of the movie is the same as that in the book.

This film is truly a coming of age story about young high school girls. It is beautifully filmed with lovely scenery from both Greece and Mexico. The actors portraying the young girls are very well cast and match the descriptions from the book. As a librarian, I can tell you that no movie can ever equal the movie you make in your head while you are reading a book. But, this movie is beautiful in its own right, and a lovely story of growing up female and experiencing love, passion, death, and disappointment. The girls learn that the love and friendship they share will help them to get through all the issues of growing up.

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The Station Agent (2003)

10/10

Most Under-appreciated Movie of 2003

15 March 2004

Although nominated for Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards, this film was massively under-appreciated by most awards organizations in 2003. This film has everything I look for in the art of film-making: great story, strong and interesting characters, smart editing, unpredictable plot and dialog, strong message, great character development, non-stereotypical characters, wonderful visuals, etc. etc. etc.

The story is engaging: I did not find my mind wandering once during this film. The extreme extrovert literally pulls the two struggling, lonely introverts kicking and screaming from their aloneness and the three become dear friends. The themes of varied individuals coming together during difficult times and opposites attracting are not new, but are handled here in a new manner. The acting is superb and the story is believable. People behave in a manner consistent with real life. I found that I could relate to and appreciate each of the characters and their struggles.

I would strongly recommend this movie to almost anyone, but it is best appreciated by a fan of superb character development and understated action.

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A Letter to Three Wives (1949)

10/10

One of My All Time Favorites

24 January 2002

The town socialite and golden girl, Addie Ross, sends a letter to three wives telling them she has run off with one of their husbands. They are chaperoning a children's boat trip and cannot do anything to verify this information. Each wife recalls in flashback their relationship with their husbands and their husbands' comments regarding Addie. A fascinating movie about how we take those we love for granted. Each wife recognizes how precious their relationship is because now it may be over. They think back on what they could have said or could have done to prevent their husband from running off with Addie. And, they all recognize that each man has been given love and attention by Addie, and they all adore her. The tension mounts to a surprise ending. A very quiet, character development type of movie. The action is all internal, as well as the tension. See how each wife reacts as she races home to see if her husband is there. A fine movie with plenty of comic relief and tremendous acting by all included. A truly fascinating script. An ideal movie for those who have been married a few years.

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Sleuth (1972)

10/10

Great Movie

14 June 2001

I place this movie in my top 10 favorites of all time. It is like one big chess match. Laurence Olivier shows why he is considered one of the greatest actors. He toys with the Michael Caine character and you start to lose track yourself of what layer of gamesmanship is before you. You learn not to even trust your own eyes. Both of these actors have made some pretty poor script choices during their careers. This one gave them both an opportunity to stretch and show what they were capable of. I have to admit that it took me about 5 minutes after the movie ended to determine my thoughts, but I then was convinced I had seen great acting and a truly unique and exciting script.

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Rosewood (1997)

1/10

One of the most disturbing movies of my life.

11 June 2001

This has to be one of the most disturbing movies I have ever seen. I literally had to close my eyes and plug my ears for long stretches while in the theater. I was also pretty close to throwing up when I left. The brutality in this movie is just unbearable. When unplugging my ears at one point I heard the line "but, Daddy, it's just a baby" referring to a small child basically being demolished by a mob.

Is this amount of violence appropriate given the incredibly violent event it portrays? I do not believe so. This movie is full of gratuitous violence that could just as easily have been insinuated. I think back to the Gone with the Wind scene at the railway station portraying the horror of war as it panned back to show more and more and more dead and wounded soldiers until the number is as far as the eye can see. We didn't need to see these men shot to feel the impact of this condemnation of war. This is a creative method of demonstrating the horror of violence. Rosewood is a cheap and uncreative method.

This incident is a horrifying one in the history of our country and deserves a telling that is a little more accessible. It should be a film that can be shown to teens and even older children. But, I consider this violence more obscene than any sexually explicit movie I have ever seen. Even the first twenty minutes of Private Ryan looked tame compared to this movie. This is an action/horror film. It is not a historical drama.

The people of Rosewood deserve a more creative telling of their story. As it is, this film will be soon forgotten because it cannot be used to teach those who need to understand.

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