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Reviews
Stigmata (1999)
Unspeakably horrible
I count this as without question the worst film I've ever seen. It is completely devoid of any value whatsoever. The characters are poorly portrayed and even more poorly developed. Well acted films allow you to suspend disbelief and accept the fantastic. This didn't even come close.
I wonder if the City of Pittsburgh approved allowing itself to be used as the supposed setting for this film (the portrayal of Pittsburgh in and of itself being just God-awful and clearly not filmed here, or anywhere off a soundstage). If so, shame on Mayor Murphy.
I don't believe anyone spent money to make this. I certainly don't believe I spent a hard-earned $6.50 to see it.
Being John Malkovich (1999)
Well, it's different.....
I once heard someone say that there are ten basic plot lines for films, but now there are 11, the 11th being "Being John Malkovich." I'd agree, it certainly is different from anything I'd seen before. That didn't necessarily translate into a film I thoroughly enjoyed, however.
I found the acting lackluster (with the exception of Malkovich as himself, the unwitting participant), and was not terribly impressed with Spike Jonze's directorial debut. With a story the calibre of this one, having either of those facets of the picture being particular high-quality would have warranted a high rating. As it is, I gave the film a 6/10, based upon the storyline, which I found fascinating, and Malkovich's performance, which is a howl.
The Commitments (1991)
Great fun
I don't say this about many films, but this is truly one that you can watch over and over and over again. If you have the DVD, I strongly recommend that you watch "The Making of the Commitments" first, it gives great background into the film and actors, without much "spoilage." After 8 years of watching this on VHS, I was surprised to find out that Robert Arkins ("Jimmy Rabbitte") performs vox on the opening title song, "Treat Her Right." I suppose I had read it on the CD, I just had not put 2+2 together.
The story is great and superbly acted by this group of then-unknowns, although you may want to take advantage of subtitles if you have trouble with the Northside accent the first time through. Even then, it may take a few times before you nail down the colloquialisms. The music, however, is what makes the film great. Like Joey "The Lips" says, Deco's (Andrew Strong) voice belongs to God.
Overall, deadly.
American Beauty (1999)
What's all the fuss about?
American Beauty this and American Beauty that. All I kept hearing was how good this film was. About the Oscars it was nominated for and won. I thought to myself, "I must really be missing something." So I rented the video. I admit I did have a few good laughs and every now and then I wanted to know what was going to happen next but over all the movie wasn't anything extraordinary.
Don't get me wrong, I really don't prefer $150 million action flicks. This movie didn't stand up to the buzz it received. Again, I didn't think that the film was bad at all. It was enjoyable, the acting was flawless, and I may even watch it again but it fell short of what I expected.
Good movie but totally overhyped if you ask me.
Fargo (1996)
"What now, d'ya think?"
I loved this movie, my wife hated it. It is, granted, an acquired taste, as are most Coen Bros. movies ("Big Lebowski" more so than most). One of the things that brings me back to this film over and over again is the realistic portrayal, particularly with regard to the accent, of upper-midwesterners. There's not much more frustrating to me than films that purportedly are set in a locale, yet the characters do or say nothing that people who actually live there would ("Stigmata" is a particularly egriegous example that takes place right here in Pittsburgh). I like the story, like the dark humor, but the characters are the clincher. Oh gee, ja.