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Reviews
Walk the Line (2005)
good, not great film
At first Walk the Line felt like a great film. After thinking about it a little more, I started to feel that it a very good film flirting with, but not touching greatness. The story was a little too simplified for its source, both in spirit and and formation. I thought the way Cash's demons were simplified in the film didn't do it complete justice. Also, the more I thought about the script, the more I felt that other than Cash the characters were lacking the depth required to be a great film. I really liked the directing. Mangold is an impressive director with more range than I realized. He now has at least three distinctively unique films on his resume with Ring of Fire, Kate & Leopold, and Identity. I would definitely watch near anything he directed sight unseen. The acting was very impressive also. Phoenix is showing that (pardon the pun) he has the skills to spread his wings and fill a diversity of roles. Witherspoon made an underwritten role have more depth and power than it probably should have. The rest of the cast was talentedly engaging and provided the Phoenix the environment to shine. Ultimately, I thought the biggest flaw was the script. It seemed to turn the story of Johnny Cash into a little too much of an one character story. June Carter seemed like there should have been more depth to develop her, and in some ways Vivian Cash seemed to not be present enough in the whole storyline. Overall, it is an impressive film. I don't it entirely succeeded in its goals of show us who the man in black really was. 7/10
Hudson Hawk (1991)
Pure Cult
Hudson Hawk is a film with a average beginning and a poor ending. But the middle is personal comedic bliss. This film is how I would define the the pinnacle of cult. It is definitely one of those films that you will adore or abhor. Just ride the film out past the introductory blather every film needs to build its world, let the film roll, and if the first heist doesn't get you laughing out loud, you might as well turn it off. Because if you don't like that scene, you may as well turn off the movie. The films humor maintains that style for the rest of the film. But if you like it, definitely keep watching. Because for the half to two-thirds of this film will be bliss to your demented humors. Hudson Hawk received a lot of initial bad press and bad reputation because it was very different, racy comedy/action film when everyone was expecting a variation of a Die Hard action film. And while not the bravest and boldest of film making adventures, it did challenge the edges on where an action/comedy's humor was able to tread. That is why it has out lived it's bad start out of the financial gates and is still talked about semi-occasionally and built a small but rabid group of fans. Hudson Hawk's premise creates an absurd world right from the start. Hudson Hawk is a master thief who is getting released from prison after serving a ten year sentence for a heist that was set up. Upon his release, his parole officer propositions him with a new job before he can even get out of the jail. Hawk discovers that the world has moved on without him in those ten years. Not that he was entirely up to date to begin with. He has yet to own a watch, but he knows the length of many popular songs and uses them to mark the time needed to commit his heists. Add in a demented butler with blades as cuff links, two psychotic antagonists, a nun as love interest, and a former CIA operative group whose nicknames are candy bars and the absurd glee only deepens. So if you are into absurd, quick paced humor this is your film. Just have patience with the beginning and the end.
Corpse Bride (2005)
missed it by that much
The Corpse Bride, Tim Burton's second venture to share the magic of stop motion animation to a new generation, is a film I wanted to love. I really wanted to love it. But unlike Victor's piano playing in the movie, it seemed to be a note or two off. Technically the film was superior than his first venture, The Nightmare Before Christmas. In all honesty, the script and music were as good if not better than Nightmare also. But it seemed to lack that emotional tug and enthusiasm that Nightmare has. But before I go further, I leave the disclaimer that Nightmare is probably one of my favorite movies of all time. The Corpse Bride may suffer another flaw with me that is unfair to it- deferred love and praise from a cult classic. Just like that actor or actress who receives an Oscar nomination for a lesser role because last years phenomenal performance was overlooked, The Corpse Bride might have acquired a little extra unearned hype from Burton's first venture that went initially unnoticed by the mass audience. I think that if you were to have seen this film before Nightmare, it would definitely impress. And it did even to me. I watched the whole film and enjoyed myself. The scene where Bonejangles leads his skeleton band is fun to watch. The end actually maintained a solid level of suspense and closed the story on a great note. But ultimately the simple characters, arguably no more complex than in Nightmare, never really stuck to memory for me. And as enjoyable as the cinematic ride was, I guess I would prefer to ride down the cult cinema of Nightmare, not The Corpse Bride, any time.
Meet the Feebles (1989)
A perverse, demented, disturbingly unique film
Every once in a while you see a film that isn't necessarily the best film you'll ever see, but the passion and gusto used to make it makes it so distinctive that it will stick with you forever, whether you want it to or not. This is a perfect example of one those films. Near every cultural boundary is twisted or broken, but since it is done with muppet-like characters and so much zeal, the film has a desired train wreck effect. The creativity to come up with a film like this is astounding, and most viewers who have the courage to try a film out like this to start this will probably have to watch this film to its final chaotic live performance in the films climax, whether they want to or not. Meet the Feebles is definitely not a film for the tame of heart, but if you like you films rough, raw and raunchy, this film is probably perfect for your demented little fascination.