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mrjoelcairo
Reviews
Smart People (2008)
More complex and interesting than JUNO but just as good
I saw this at Sundance. It was even better than expected, and I had my hopes up going into it. The story is smart, funny and more complex than Juno. Don't get me wrong; I loved Juno. I guess I am saying that Smart People is on a parallel level of quality with it despite being more complex in terms of the characters and their relationships. If you loved Juno, think of Smart People as your next stepping stone upward. While Ellen Page is one of the stars here, it is important not to overlook the fact that two of the bona fide actors with solid track records -- Dennis Quaid and Thomas Haden Church -- are really the main attractions here. If you look at Quaid's film history, you will see a wide array of projects, ranging from Breaking Away and The Right Stuff to Far From Heaven and Traffic. He's not afraid to take risks as an actor, and his long career shows that he is able to withstand the ebbs and flows of an industry that is very fickle. He's the reason you should see this film.
Heaven's Prisoners (1996)
Alec Baldwin does nicely creating an onscreen Robicheaux.
If you see this movie, remember that it is based on the series of Dave Robicheaux detective novels by James Lee Burke. If you're expecting some Harrison Ford cartoonish blockbuster, you're in the wrong place. However, if strong characters and relationships mixed with suspense are what you enjoy, then you should like Heaven's Prisoners. Baldwin does a nice job of creating an onscreen version of Burke's hero, Dave Robicheaux, and one wishes that more adaptations of those novels followed this film. Another nice surprise is Mary Stuart Masterson as Robin, and Vondie Curtis-Hall and Eric Roberts add just the right balance to Baldwin. Despite what one reviewer said, it seems like Teri Hatcher is in over her head here--her Southern accent is intermittently overdone then not there at all, and she hardly seems believeable as a vamp in control of everyone. It's probably no coincidence that she went on to do Radio Shack commercials after this.
Europa (1991)
Most original movie I've seen in years
Zentropa is the most original movie I've seen in years. If you like unique thrillers that are influenced by film noir, then this is just the right cure for all of those Hollywood summer blockbusters clogging the theaters these days. Von Trier's follow-ups like Breaking the Waves have gotten more acclaim, but this is really his best work. It is flashy without being distracting and offers the perfect combination of suspense and dark humor. It's too bad he decided handheld cameras were the wave of the future. It's hard to say who talked him away from the style he exhibits here, but it's everyone's loss that he went into his heavily theoretical dogma direction instead.