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Reviews
The Employee of the Month (2002)
"Normal," middle-class Dan Swift watches his life fall apart in less than a month.
This was an excellent film. Great work by new writer/director Jesse Bean. The film provides provocative insight into the unexplainable violence that seems to appear out of nowhere. Bean's directing and acting accurately represent the sometimes surreal mind of Dan Swift, a man who initially appears to have the perfect life. Although "Under the Gun" shares territory with the Michael Douglas film, "Falling Down," Bean's film is faster paced and more engaging. The film makes a powerful statement on the unforgiving world of business, where one mistake can totally destroy a life. "Under the Gun" has a powerful impact.
I'd recommend this film for employers who need a little sensitivity.
Ash Wednesday (2002)
Good little movie, Burnsy
You have to love Ed Burns' willingness to make these non-blockbusters. This one is a little different than his normal romantic comedies, and it works well. Burns can do drama, and he can do it well. The movie features a great portrayal of the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, and it lets the neighborhood serve as a vivid background without making it such a focal point that it compromises the characters. I think the movie's only weakness is Elijah Wood, wh delivers his lines like the third best actor in the average high school play. He can do the big-eyed, semi-retarded wonderment thing well, but that's about the beginning and end of the scope of his versatility, and it just doesn't fit in this movie.