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Reviews
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Redux Stunning....A (flawed) Masterpiece
Just saw Coppola's new cut. On a huge screen with all the bells & whistles, the film's stunning visuals are only enhanced. It is a remarkable experience because you feel in the middle of it all with Capt. Willard and the young guys going upriver. (This is NOT always a good thing! It's almost overwhelming.) The dinner scene at the French plantation doesn't add much even as an explanation of the War. The Playboy vignette, while not seeming exploitive, just doesn't seem to work. But it was worth seeing the film for the first time in years. It is such a tremendous tribute to the power of cinema. It only makes all the drek up on the screen look all the worse. Yeah Coppola!!!
The Cider House Rules (1999)
Old Fashioned Film Making at Its Best!
I loved this film! It is a throwback to the kind of movie creativity of the 40's and 50's: a rich, full story packed with interesting people, beautifully acted, written and directed. (In a year end packed with a plethora of interesting films: Magnolia, Liberty Heights, Straight Story, et. al, Cider House really captured me). Irving's fable of a youth's odyssey of becoming a man actually has a beginning, a middle and an end (sort of). Nothing wrong with structure on occasion. Strengths: the Dickensian parallel, characters with shades of gray, the wonderful direction of Hallstrom, the great sense of place, the children, the marvelous acting of Caine, Maguire, Lindo, Theron (& others). I only hope the film doesn't get lost in the rush of all those flicks racing toward Oscar nominations. It would be very sad indeed!
The Limey (1999)
Stamp Powerful in Soderbergh's Film Noir Classic
Wow! An adult film that works beautifully on two levels: as a pure film noir and ultimately as a flick about a father/daughter relationship (or the lack of one). Stamp is so terrific it's tough to think of the film without him in the title role. He'll be robbed if he doesn't get an Oscar nod. Soderbergh has done a miraculous job of directing, and his playing with time and dialogue and overlapping lines all seem to work within the context of the story. What a terrific supporting cast: Guzman, Warren, Newman, and of course, Fonda who's just wonderful as the record producer. The sense of place....LA and Big Sur.....and the great music, especially the moody jazz riffs all contribute powerfully.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
A Haunting Sleeper!
What a terrific sleeper this haunting ghost story turned out to be. I saw it on opening day (a few weeks ago) before there was much talk about it to spoil any surprises. A real trick is to get people who normally don't see this kind of flick to see it. Too many people (my wife included) think it's a standard creepy flick ("I see dead people.") Armed with an absorbing script, three terrific performances (Toni Collette along with Willis & Osment), and sharply directed, this is one of the better films this year. Would the film industry do right by it, nominating Oscars for the Osment as Best Actor and Willis as Best Supporting Actor??? Probably not, huh!
Bian Lian (1995)
Beautiful Chinese Tale Sweeps Across the Screen
"Masks" is a moving film that works on many levels. At its simplest, it is the haunting story of a street performer who bonds with a young child while trying to pass along his creative art (masks) to the next generation. Although, at times the story makes the old man into a Job, it is so well crafted (written, acted, directed, wonderful production values), it is easy to move beyond his plight. And, if you hang with it, the film is ultimately very sweet and uplifting. Kudos all around. This is a wonderful film for children as well as adults. The trick is how to get Americans who may not like foreign language films to see it!
Central do Brasil (1998)
An Unforgettable Classic "Road" Film
Cheers to everyone connected with this absolutely moving film! How sad that so many Americans who (for whatever reason) won't see foreign language films because it's one of the loveliest films in my memory. No mean feat since I've been a film fan for more than 50 years! Kudos to the director for creating a poignant film without being cloying and sweet without being saccharine. It's not JUST the story of a lonely old woman and the young boy although that is enough indeed! Brazil itself becomes another character with its noisy city, arid deserts and teeming masses. You can almost smell the sweat. And the music (a lovely piano) and cinematography and screenplay just add more and more dimension. An utterly beautiful film with two wonderful performances by Miss Montenegro and the young boy!
Little Voice (1998)
Good mini-concert; Overwrought Film
In many respects, "Little Voice is a very strange film. What an incredibly simplistic look at what is basically a mentally ill person. Still, Jane Horrocks does a fine job in imitating the voices of some of the great singers of the past! It's a fine performance deserving of a more cohesive script. The picture is a muddled mess in the last third. Brenda Blythen is waaaay over the top as LV's mother. No wonder her daughter is emotionally ill. Caine is very good as the seedy promoter. And, it's nice to see McGregor in a role not requiring him to use drugs or being out there in some fashion. Still worth the admission to see Horrocks do Garland, Monroe, Bassey, and especially interesting as Billie Holiday.
Waking Ned (1998)
Simply Delightful!
When I wasn't laughing out loud, I think there was a smile on my face the rest of the time. Cheers to Kirk Jones for writing & directing this clever sleeper. A great cast, including Ian Bannen, the wonderfully underrated Finnoula Flanagan, and David Kelley, who should get an Oscar Nod as Best Supporting Actor "riding nude on a motoryccle & keeping the audience cracking up." Applause all around!
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
A Breath of Fresh Air
Isn't it amazing that everyone (almost) is seeing the same delightful film with a great script, terrific acting & direction & wonderful production values? It's particularly noteworthy in a year filled with down flicks: whether well done (Lolita, Happiness???, Celebration) or not (Very Bad Things, indeed). Maybe we're all just pleased to see a film that's funny and sweet & romantic! It would be a crime not to mention the terrific work of the writers (Stoppard & Norman), director John Madden and that luminous (her picture should be in the dictionary) Gwyneth Paltrow performance. Still, Fiennes, Dench, Rush, Firth et. al. should take bows too! Can't wait to see this one again!
Psycho (1998)
Kudos to Van Sant!
Hitch is one of my favorite all-time directors so I was really prepared to dislike this flick. BUT Van Sant did a fine job of paying homage to Alfred. Highlights: the great Saul Bass credits (gets you going immediately); Hermann's wonderful, eery music; the colors (who would have thought of having the Anne Heche character in those wacky orange colors...but they work); Heche in another solid acting job; Bill Macy; Forster. And a good try from Vince in the Norman Bates role. His giggle is "fun" but who can ever forget Tony Perkins in a role that really made your skin crawl. The only downside is something totally of Van Sant's control: there is no suspense per se once you've seen the film and know the denoument. All in all, very entertaining!
Lolita (1997)
A Moving Film Deserving of a Bigger Audience
Thanks to Showtime or I might not have seen this powerful film, featuring an Oscar-worthy performance by Jeremy Irons. It is poignant, sad, funny, ironic, all-in-all, one of the best films of the year. Kudos to Adrian Lyne, Stephen Schiff, Dominique Swain and the others who helped create this fine film. Rather sad in many respects that it was kept from a larger viewing audience who would have appreciated a truly adult work of rare power. If people think this film glorifies the subject matter, they more assuredly missed the point. How sad!
Elizabeth (1998)
Towering Blanchett Carries the Day!
Elizabeth the First's ascension to the throne has been reinvented as a Gothic Romance. There is no such thing as understatement here. More is definitely MORE!!! But it has a wonderful performance by Cate Blanchett, who grows and changes as we watch. And some solid support from Rush, Eccleston, Ardant, etc. Don't pay too much attention to total historical accuracy or the fuzzy script. It is very entertaining and fast-paced. And the production values, costumes, music (when not overwhelming the soundtrack) etc. are all quite good.
American History X (1998)
Powerful Film Transcends the Weaknesses
This film, and Edward Norton's performance, are so powerful that it almost makes you forget the weaknesses. One wonders what a really terrific director could have done with it! On the plus side: some really solid acting, including Edward Furlong, Bevery D'Angelo, Stacy Keach, Guy Cory, Ethan Suplee, and most striking because it is so understated, Elliot Gould as the mother's Jewish boyfriend. Other pluses: a different look at another kind of bigotry; the relationship between the brothers; the interplay between Norton & Cory; the powerful prison scenes. On the downside: the heavy handed music, the preachiness, Sweeney's cardboard character, the pretentiousness of some of the arty photography, etc. One does wonder what a better director (Spielberg, Scorcese) might have done with the film! Read Janet Maslin's review in the NY Times. She & I saw the same flick!