Reviews

Not even the "swordsmanship" of this dog could keep me from laughing out loud at the truly forgettable and entirely laughable attempts at writing, acting and directing.

OK, I get it, you aren't suppose to watch "Blood Sport" for the acting, but there is a definite standard of acting and story that have to be present, even in pure action flicks. And it just wasn't here.

My recommendation, invite some friends over, rent this lame-o flick, drink a lot and MST it to death (don't worry, it won't take much effort).

Oh yeah, and the swordplay is really not that great. Mainly there to appeal to the Ren Fair crowd that think that wearing a dull costume blade, and watching Highlander repeatedly, constitutes their unlimited knowledge of the blade.

Why is it that everyone who has seen this movie feels it is their responsibility to tell us whether or not they are fencers? That point is completely immaterial to any argument to be made against this total dog of a movie.

I think sports movies fall into two categories; well made movies about the human spirit and competitions, and `By the Sword'.

Honestly this movie never could decide what it wanted to be, a touching drama for trying to be your best in life, an indictment of competitive motivation or a martial arts flick. In the end it didn't do any of those convincingly or completely enough to make me give one ounce of care of any of it.

For the record I also am a fencing instructor (and now I am officially as bad as the rest). But putting bad fencing in a movie doesn't make it bad automatically. I mean look at Star Wars (Episodes 4-6, good movies, bad fencing). I liked those movies. But when you put bad sports into a bad movie for some reason people think that it is only the purists that think it a lame effort.

Don't be fooled by any comments on the smaller issue of fencing. This is just a bad movie. In the end, this movie has nothing for the fencing enthusiast or the movie buff or simply anyone with a pulse and three brain cells.

When I see a movie and am forced to think, `Man, I wish I was watching the Mighty Ducks.' I know that it is time to bypass the argument with the theater manager to get my money back and see if there is anyone in the lobby that will somehow give me two hours of my life back.

I have always felt that the production company of Amy Sommer (Academy Award nominee for Waco; The Rules of Engagement) would be better and more accurately represented if it was called Eternal Vigilance Productions. Because every time I see one of her works I am reminded that that is the price of all freedom, both personal and civil. She, once again, and director Nonny de la Pena, along with the rest of their crew, have raised the form of documentary film from Shark Week on the discovery channel, back to the unblinking eye that should always be searching out the truth, however unpleasant, so that justice and not popular opinion can be seen. `The Jaundiced Eye' is another sterling example of that tradition.

This amazingly shown story of two me, wrongfully imprisoned for child molestation, shows us not only the devastating effect of homophobia on our justice system but also the bias that we as a country still feel toward those of an alternative life style.

Stephen Mathews, a gay man from Michigan, and Melvin Mathews, his straight father, were both sentenced to 35 years in prison when Stephen's ex-wife and, then, live-in boyfriend convinced Stephen's son to claim that he had been molested and tortured by the two men. They were convicted with no physical evidence, represented by an attorney who really didn't seem all that interested in performing his duties and forgotten by the community.

This film follows their later appeal and subsequent reintroduction to a society that, despite their proven innocence, still seemed uninterested or incapable of accepting them back into it.

It is the stark reality of a world that is unforgiving and a system that is more concerned with dispensing punitive sentences rather that looking for the truth that made this film both difficult to watch and at the same time impossible to ignore. It has been a very long time since I was moved to tears by a film, but I suppose that because of its amazing true story and incredible narrative style this one was bound to do it.

`Deadly Little Secrets' represents everything good about independent film. It is biting, memorable and most of all intelligent. This film has an excellent and compelling story, beautiful artistry and performances by little known actors of which they should all be proud. Craig Sheffer, in particular, after several forgettable earlier performances, seemed to have really hit the mark with this role. I could tell how much he bonded to and loved his character.

The story moves at a comfortable pace, giving the viewer just enough time to take in all the subtlety of the performances and the scenery (of which there is a lot), while never dragging its feet or stumbling. The story also possess the rare quality of being both complicated, as the character maneuver through the various twists and turns of the plot, and very direct, almost simplistic, presentation of the larger issues with which the film grapples.

I was most impacted by the amazing atmosphere that the entire story seems to create. In many film I have seen, there is the story, and there is the picture, and most of the time the two are completely unconnected. But with `Deadly Little Secrets' the two are so seamlessly crafted together that I actually lost myself completely in the world that was being presented to me.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a big budget attempt at this same story, or at least the themes it so richly portrayed, come out of Hollywood in the near future.

In the end, if you want big budget eye candy that spits on your mind, go see the next Lucas film. But if you want a film that is actually crafted to be smart and effecting then share `Secrets' with your friends.