Reviews

I missed seeing this movie so many times because of the inocuous synopsis offered--something bland like, "Uptight woman falls into hedonism." Once I finally saw the movie, I was blown away and instantly fell in love with Christian Bale. I couldn't believe Frances McDormand's performance--it was a far cry and so much better than even 'Fargo', if you can believe that. Alessandro Nivolo caught my eye; I hadn't noticed him before, but would like to see more of his work. I definitely would like the soundtrack to this movie. It must be awesome. As to the storyline, it was interesting to see the characters unfold and change. I've seen commentary on opinions as to interpretation of the ending, and I have my own, which of course seems obvious to me. I don't know if I've helped with this commentary, but I HIGHLY recommend this movie. Since seeing it, I've ordered every DVD Christian Bale has out there.

I eagerly anticipated this series because of my admiration for Julian McMahon (Charmed). The entire cast is great, and the subplots are the real masterpiece of this drama/comedy. Sure, the premise is built around the issue of plastic surgery, but it is everything outside the operating room that provides the substance to this show. The triangle of Christian / Julia / Shawn is by now (second season) ripe for some real turbulence, especially with Christian's crisis and Julia's secret. I, for one, can't wait to see how the season unfolds - or explodes, I expect. The theme is also well-represented in showing how people can so easily take plastic surgery way too far - surgeons included. This show has a lot of life to it, and I can't wait to see where it takes us.

"One Hundred Mile Rule" turned out to be better than I expected from the very brief and bland synopsis provided. As a Jake Weber fan, I decided to go ahead and watch it, anyway. The three primary men in this movie get embroiled in a mess and don't quite know how to clean it up. If you read the synopsis, you get the general idea, but this movie only really comes together and gets interesting when the guys try to take matters into their own hands, as you may imagine. Maria Bello is seen in an interesting light, much different from her character on ER. It's not a five-star movie, but it's worth checking out for a good laugh, especially for Jake Weber fans.

This movie takes Edith Wharton's story and unfolds it gracefully and with the humanity that is typical of Wharton's work. (Ethan Frome was much the same feat.) Anderson's performance is stellar, as is Stoltz's. I have seen the movie before, but seeing it today still made me cry at the end. That denotes a real effect in the effort.

I saw Monster's Ball a few months ago, and I thought it was a very compelling movie for all the reasons other people have discussed. I watched it again last night, however, and have seen the intricacity and subltety that is completely driven by the acting of Billy Bob Thornton, but even more effectively and stunning, by Halle Berry. There's a rule of thumb about books that pertains to movies as well: The first read is for plot (because plot is the easiest and most accessible form of reception), but it's the second read that actually provides meaning. The summary, thus, is that if you've only seen it once, you have to see it again. ;)