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TheEternalCrow
Reviews
Crime and Punishment (1998)
Here's the Crime, and this is the Punishment
A crime causes much grief and guilt for the young idealist Rodya Raskonlnikov (Dempsey) who cannot come around to confess his offense.
Beginning with the positives, Crime and Punishment has a fairly powerful cast with the exception of Patrick Dempsey. Julie Delpy plays an excellent Sonia, and Ben Kingsley could not have done a better Porfiry. The cast were great for their parts, unfortunately the actual movie wasn't too great in terms of quality film-making.
Without knowing any prior history to the movie (or the book for that matter), one can easily see that this was made for TV. The cheesy "spacing out" effects only used in TV are an abundance in Crime and Punishment. It is most noticeable in Rodya's moments of despair and depression. The overall impression of this version of Crime and Punishment is much more different than what I saw in my mind while reading the book. The words in the novel are dark, gritty, and full of heart. The movie is very simple and it's almost always in broad daylight! If anything, all scenes should be shot in nighttime 99% of the time since darkness relatively symbolizes desperation and grim moments.
Patrick Dempsey, as much of a sweetheart as he is, is NOT Rodya Raskolnikov. Rodya is a rough man, not a pansy. This was a complete casting error that ruined his character's complexity entirely.
For what it's worth, Crime and Punishment makes for a decent straight-to-television movie. If one is looking for justice to the book, let your imagination run wild. After all, an imagination is a much more powerful tool than a cheesy television film. Too much was changed in the transition from the book to the little screen. That was the crime. Watching this as a faithful Dostoyevski fan was the punishment.
Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004)
Nice little surprises in the nights of Havana.
Let's face it, most sequels to classic movies are never that great. (The Exorcist II - Grease 2) Dirty Dancing with Patrick Swayze was a great movie, and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights with Diego Luna is a worthy sequel.
The movie is, of course, a love story between a young American woman named Katey, and a young Cuban man named Javier. They become dance partners to try to win a trip to the U.S. along with $5,000. Many conflicts get in their way of course, like the idea of interracial partnership, and Cuba's unsteady government. There is more to the story like Katey discovering the "True way of dancing" by "feeling" the music. I won't reveal much more than that, but the storyline makes much sense and fits in with the sequel.
The acting is great. All of the Actresses and Actors work great with each other. Diego Luna (Y tu mama tambien) plays the mysterious/charming Latino that we all are familiar with, and Romola Garai (I Capture the Castle) plays the insecure American that is set apart from her parents by their personal views. They work well together, for the choreography is amazing. They seem like the perfect dancers to put in a dance contest.
Many people think that the basic plot is pretty much the same as the first one with the same type of characters, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Here we have younger actors, and a storyline aimed at a younger audience. The movie was obviously made for today's generation of teenagers, so older fans of Dirty Dancing should probably stick with the original, although Patrick does play a small role in this one.
As much as I liked Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, I have to recommend this one as only a rental. Even though the dancing is magnificent and the acting is good, it still may not appeal to the fans of the original Dirty Dancing. If you haven't seen Dirty Dancing, and you are a young adult, (as I am) then this one is definitely worth the rent.