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Reviews
Duck (2005)
Loved loved this scrappy, brave little film
Philip Baker Hall is beautiful in this delightful home-made treasure. Loved the Landlord! Would have liked to see a bit more Ending, a bit more of the clearly budding relationship of the man with the dog and the man with the duck. Just a bit more; not much. I was puzzled by the societal breakdown: why was the social worker unable to do anything at all?? Of course, if she had been able, there would have been no story. Watch this film! I would love a sequel.
The Visual Bible: The Gospel of John (2003)
A First-Rate Film
I noticed the colors of the film about half-way through. The muted, neutral beiges and browns, with an occasional soft blue or red, of the people's clothing seems so natural that I was suddenly and happily made aware that everything worked together: each scene's color scheme was deliberate. The Temple scenes with the beige crowds and the sharp contrast of the navy-and-crème Pharisees, and the crème-white of the Christ's clothing. The wedding banquet with the reds, oranges, deeper browns and blues -- any frame of any scene could stand alone as a classic painting. The music, the acting, the casting -- this is a first-rate film regardless of how you personally believe the message of John's Gospel.
Black Cadillac (2003)
fine film, but . . . .
I'm really sorry this movie had so much Sleaze (in the opening ten minutes, and in the language throughout) because the story, the premise, and the film-making itself were so outstanding. It should be a movie for all people who love movies, and not of necessity limited to those who really don't mind, or who actively delight in, Sleaze. A behind-the-scenes, left-to-the-intelligent-viewer's-imagination depiction of the sophomoric activity in this story would have made this a classic film. Duel is classic, this is not. (If you can't show it to grandmothers and junior high kids, it ain't classic.) That said, the casting and acting, the atmosphere and the terror so well done, and the interest sustained throughout so complete, I hope someday to see a remake with the Sleaze cut out and the language cleaned up. The screen writing was good; aside from the writer's inability to think up synonyms for "damn it", the conversation kept moving towards revealing the characters' inner selves and the changes their terrifying experiences were causing. The lighting was really impressive. Though the film took place entirely at night, and the sense of darkness and cold were maintained, the lighting made all that was happening, all emotions, very clear to the viewer: an actor's dream. This is another reason I wish the film had been Classic instead of Transient -- it is an actor's film. The actors made me care, made me listen, made me watch for their individual reactions. A fine film . . . . but.
Passion Fish (1992)
An All Time Great Film
I finally bought this film because I kept renting it. The slow pace is just right, never boring, and puts one endearing and individual character after another before us. Sugar is one of my favorites. David Straitharn is a brilliant actor and his characterization of Rennie has not one false note. I have lived in South Louisiana for 30 years and this movie made the area another character; the sense of place is flawless. The two leading ladies never upstage either each other or any of the other actors; this movie is a true ensemble piece. All of this keeps me coming back to this very redemptive film, a real work of art. Particularly well done is the contrast between the artificial world of New York theater, and the real world of ordinary people facing very difficult problems. The viewer is deliberately made comfortable in that real world, with no sense of being patronized. This reviewer gave up a professional theater career for "the real world", and I am very glad to see a film that doesn't just tell the truth but shows it in every nuance, in every note of music, and in the wonderful pauses between scenes. May-Alice gives me a jolt of hope and humor every time I see this film. Bravo.
Sahara (2005)
Delightful, beautiful
Hey, what's not to like? A fantasy film with the handsome wisecracking hero, his comic sidekick, the beautiful intelligent babe, and horribly evil villains. I loved the gorgeous Morrocan scenery, the wonderfully ridiculous cliffhanging situations, the happy ending, and I didn't even notice the lack of cussing until the thing was over. And no potty humor!! I give this one an Academy Award for pure entertainment value and a fast moving plot with no wasted space. The acting/directing was smooth, the jokes were funny, the costuming was perfect, the camera angles were extremely artistic, and the old-fashioned bravery and perseverance's of Our Heros was downright inspiring. The solutions to the bad situations were creative, wonderfully timed, and worthy of the first Indiana Jones flick.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
True to the book
PERFECT! wonderful film, impeccable casting, well-paced, and nearly flawless special effects. I am looking forward to all its sequels. Am planning to see it again in the theater. I was very pleased with the beavers; their personalities were funny and serious and homey. Little Lucy was a remarkable actress; she drew me into the film immediately. The Aslan was powerful but kind; the development of Peter into a real King made sense to me. The young actor seemed born to the role. The castles were gorgeous. Mr Tumnus the faun was exactly right. I noticed at several points that the movie theater was absolutely quiet, almost breathless. All the chase scenes were cliff-hangers and had me clutching my date's hand till I noticed my fingers aching. (His too probably.) I missed a couple of great scenes that had been in the trailer -- hopefully they'll be in the DVD. The children and animals were taken seriously, a refreshing change from the sitcom silliness of most children/animal movies these days. Highly recommended.