Reviews
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
An out of the ordinary treat
This is my first exposure to the story of Pride and Prejudice, so I can't comment on the movie's faithfulness to the novel or how it compares to previous film versions. I can only judge it as an individual film, and I found it to be a winner. It draws you into the setting (early 19th century England) and presents some interesting characters too. Focusing on a family with five unmarried sisters, it's about the rituals of courtship and marriage that involve a great deal of wit, calculation, suspense, and deviousness. Oh, and occasionally, some actual love and affection, provided that concerns about finances and reputation have been satisfied.
Keira Knightley plays Lizzie, the second eldest of the five daughters, and she plays her very well, making her tough, smart, and resourceful without any loss of feminine charm. Lizzie is still young enough to do some giggling under the covers with her sisters, but she can also hold her own in witty banter with elite gentlemen and ladies. That dialog is perhaps the chief asset of the film. Gratuitous insults were allowed in polite society, provided they were expressed in a calm voice with proper English. Watching language be used as a weapon can be very entertaining, and the fighting in this film is often quite fierce. The only problem with Knightley is that she is really too beautiful for the role. Lizzie is supposed to be attractive, but less so than her elder sister.
Without giving anything away, I have to say I found the ending to be rather unsatisfying. In a modern Hollywood story, people who try to use wealth to get what they want would be thoroughly frustrated while the beautiful girl ends up in the arms of an ordinary schlub with a heart of gold. Such an ending is impossible here, because there are no ordinary schlubs in the film at all. I watched this movie to see something outside of Hollywood's formula system, but I found out that I've become awfully conditioned by those formulas about the right way to end a movie.
A Mighty Wind (2003)
A Pretty Strong Breeze
I have watched all four of the "mockumentaries" from Christopher Guest and friends, and I always come away with a great admiration for the multiple talents of the cast. It's remarkable that a group of people could all write, act, compose, and sing (and for Guest, direct) and do each of those things better than most people who specialize in just one. That talent creates some very funny moments and a movie that's well worth watching, but there are also some scenes that fall very flat and remind you why nobody else attempts this kind of comedy.
The movie is at its best early on, when it creates some outlandish personal histories for all the characters, complete with home movies, album covers, and TV footage. A lot of care obviously went into creating the right look and feel of a documentary filled with reminiscences. The humor is indirect, delivered with a straight face by characters who are too serious, too self-absorbed, or too crazy to realize how ridiculous they are. The music is wonderful. The signature songs for the three folk groups are all very believable. You might find yourself humming some of the songs long after the movie is over.
When it works, it works very well. There are some very funny lines in this movie. Documentaries, though, aren't really plotted; they're a series of scenes that may or may not lead to anything dramatic. So if something doesn't work in a mockumentary, it's a very conspicuous failure because it's not funny and it doesn't advance a story. Ironically, it's the best natural comedian in the cast, Eugene Levy, who has the highest failure rate in the film. His Mitch character is highly traumatized and lacks the swelled sense of self-importance that makes satire seem like justice. Watching him stare blankly, or, surrounded by pill bottles, struggle to articulate a simple thought, goes beyond what I'm able to laugh at.
If you haven't seen This is Spinal Tap and Waiting for Guffman, see those first. Only if you like those two should you watch A Mighty Wind and Best in Show.
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Simply wonderful
This is an absolutely delightful movie that's as fresh and funny today as it was when it was released more than 30 years ago. It's ostensibly a parody of the 1931 classic Frankenstein movie and its many sequels, but even someone who is only vaguely familiar with the Frankenstein story can thoroughly enjoy this movie.
The film features talented performers at their absolute best. Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks wrote a script filled with funny lines and situations. Wilder also plays the title character and delivers a performance full of manic energy. Marty Feldman (Igor) provides a delightful insouciance as the world's happiest hunchback. Special mention needs to be made of Peter Boyle, who was cast as the monster. Playing a mute creature in a bulky costume, Boyle must do much of his acting with only his eyes, and he effectively conveys an endearing bewilderment in the powerful monster. The scene where the monster visits a lonely blind man (played by Gene Hackman) is as funny as anything I've seen in a movie.
Young Frankenstein isn't quite perfect. Wilder and Brooks have said in interviews that they weren't sure how to end the movie, and in fact the characters stray far from their established personalities to fit in some gags. That violates a rule of comedy, that the gags must fit the characters and not the other way around, but by the time this happens, the movie has built up so much goodwill, it is easily forgivable. I loved this movie, and anyone who doesn't love it is no friend of mine.
Awakenings (1990)
A Fascinating and Moving Story
Awakenings is the most emotionally moving film I have ever seen. It delves deeply into one of the worst human fears, losing the ability to move and function, but it's never forced or manipulative, and there's no heavy-handed message or moral. It's just a fascinating story that's beautifully told.
The acting is as good as you will ever see. Robert DeNiro deftly handles all the emotional and physical challenges of his role, and Robin Williams demonstrates convincingly that he is an actor, not just a comedian. Williams is perhaps a bit too nerdy at first, but he captures perfectly all the hope, fear, exhilaration, and anguish that a doctor in that situation must be experiencing. Awakenings is based on actual people and events, and, to me at least, real events are always more powerful than even the best fiction.
Awakenings had big-name talent and Oscar nominations, but I don't think it ever had a big box office or became a popular video rental. That's a shame. I like escapist fare as much as the next guy, but once in a while, everyone should see a movie that you will remember and think about for a very long time. Awakenings deserves to be at the top of your list of movies to see.
Man on the Moon (1999)
Why?
For all the attention he got, Andy Kaufman didn't leave much of a comic legacy. Mostly just his part on Taxi, where his Latka character could be amusing in small doses. So why make a movie about a secondary sitcom actor? Unfortunately, you'll still be asking that question when the movie is over.
What Kaufman was famous for is stunts involving feigned anger or outright verbal abuse that were designed to entertain only himself. People who watched him hoping to see something funny often just saw shouting and threats. He was called a comedian but he preferred being unfunny.
Man on the Moon carefully recreates these episodes. Makeup artists make Jim Carrey look exactly like Kaufman, and Carrey meticulously reenacts all of Kaufman's mannerisms. The producers even cast many of Kaufman's actual accomplices, like wrestler Jerry Lawler. The problem is, when you carefully, painstakingly recreate an unfunny event, you get a careful, painstaking unfunny event. This isn't a failed movie in the sense it doesn't achieve its goal; it's a failed movie in the sense that the goal was never worth achieving.
The Hiding Place (1975)
A movie I wish I could like
The Hiding Place is a movie you want to like because it's the true story of Corrie Ten Boom, whose life exemplified the faith, courage, and willingness to forgive that all Christians are supposed to have. She was a remarkably good woman who never lost hope or trust in God even while suffering terrible injustices in the darkest days of history.
But the movie itself is far too slow and never quite captures the horror of the times. Perhaps I would have liked this movie better if I hadn't seen Schindler's List and The Pianist first. Both of those movies were far more effective at depicting the maddening fear and chaos that Nazi Germany inflicted on its victims.
Everyone should learn more about Ten Boom family and the great sacrifices they had to make in saving others. I just wish this movie was a better way of doing that.
Damien: Omen II (1978)
Wasted Potential
I found this movie in the bargain bin of a video store. Having seen the original film just a few years ago, and been impressed by its power, I decided to watch the next chapter in the life of Damien, the boy who is the Antichrist.
And with an older Damien, now 12, this sequel starts with a greater potential than the original film. What powers and limitations would a 12 year old Antichrist have? Would he try to stand out or blend in? What would he be doing now to prepare for the great confrontation ahead?
Alas, the film doesn't try to ask or answer any interesting questions. Instead, the various people who have suspicions about Damien, or even whose basic decency is just considered a hindrance to evil, are simply knocked off. This is, of course, a less-than-brilliant strategy since each death just convinces more survivors that Damien is very bad news indeed. The power of the Antichrist is supposed to come from the ability to deceive and manipulate people by the millions, not send a crow to kill someone.
So the film's focus is on finding creative ways for people to die. And some of the ways people die in this film are creative. There are some chills in the film, and although other reviewers obviously disagree, I thought the acting was quite capable. But with one killing after another leading really nowhere, the movie is more like a slasher flick than a supernatural suspense film. Damien: Omen II is good by the standards of slasher films, but it could have and should have been much more.