Change Your Image
nowwhatcreative
Reviews
The Village (2004)
Forget the negative comments, go see it!
I had heard mostly dreadful things about The Village, and I am among those who were disappointed by Unbreakable and Signs after loving The Sixth Sense.
Clear your expectations as best you can and go. It's not in the same genre as his other work -- it's a political film that may turn out to be a more important election-year entertainment than Farenheit 9/11.
Bryce Howard is amazing -- the dialog some viewers object to has an important reason to sound exactly the way it does -- and I thought the ending, while not in the 180-degree-turnaround category of Sixth Sense, was extremely satisfying even for those of us who suspected it might be something along the lines it is.
See it!
Bliss (1985)
Give this one a chance.
Ray Lawrence, the director of "Bliss," and Paul Murphy, its cinematographer, were both first-time feature filmmakers when they made "Bliss." I believe the movie swept the Australian "Oscars" in '85, and in my humble opinion, deservedly so.
The tone is somewhat dark, the genre surrealist comedy, the performances deliciously eccentric, and the storytelling masterful. "Bliss" reminds me more of some of my favorite novels than it does any other films. Peter Carey's novel and adaptation have some of the feeling of John Irving's earlier works, but it's not derivative. The cinematography is gorgeous and understated. It has a surprisingly romantic core beneath a fairly jaded surface, which I think is a tough combination to pull off.
It isn't appropriate for kids (it has sophisticated, adult themes and, at moments, a very frank approach to sex) and it has an unexpectedly epic, languorous feel toward the end (so don't watch it when you're sleepy), but if you're serious about appreciating movies, you owe it to yourself to give this one a chance. Enjoy!