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Reviews
Big Fish (2003)
Big Fish flops, gasps for air
What an awful disappointment. The Ewan McGregor segments were whimsical and fun. The father/son segments, tedious as all get-out. And what a stupid, trite Hollywood ending, which you could see coming a mile away. Bor-ring.
Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder (1999)
It's as if they tried very hard to not follow the books ...
It's a pity when moviemakers take a popular book or books and
then make a movie with elements that contain very little of what's in
the books. Don't they know that readers will be terribly
disappointed? This movie diverges from Laura Ingalls Wilder's
books in so many ways that it's ludicrous.
A blond Laura? Ma with her hair in a braid? Charles offering to go
for the wheat during the Hard Winter and being stopped not by
Caroline but by Almanzo? Almanzo's horses "PT and Barnum?"
(they were SKIP and Barnum). Where are Prince and Lady? The
teacher was Miss Wilder, Almanzo's sister, not some stranger?
And who was "Patsy?" Where's Laura's nemesis, Nellie Olson?
Just awful. Don't bother. Reread the books.
The It Factor (2002)
Fun, fast-paced series
Fun, fast-paced series following the trials and tribulations of life as a struggling actor. Interesting insights for us non-actors on why some people get cast and others don't, with peeks into the seamier side of "the business."
I suppose I missed the episodes where they talk about *why* they want to be an actor, but that would be interesting background.
Watching some of them in auditions and acting class makes me feel as if I could act better, though ... some of them are quite shrill and/or wooden.
Gosford Park (2001)
Must see ... absolutely delicous Altman move
Remember "Upstairs, Downstairs?" This movie could be the
cynical, R-rated version. An absolutely delicious romp above and
below stairs. The way the "uppers" treat the servants, as if they're
invisible as well as automatons, is spot-on. The way (some of) the
servants resign themselves to it is sad but also spot-on.
Not a "hilarious" comedy but a movie that smirks at the manners,
mores, and cruelty of the snobs.
Fantastic costumes and post WWI settings. The depiction of the
"upstairs" world at bright and beautiful (clothes, rooms) and the
"downstairs" as dark and dungeonlike (drab uniforms, noisy slate
floors, dark wood everywhere) is masterful.
The Best of Everything (1959)
Great costumes but an anti-woman tirade
Can a woman have the "best of everything?" Only if she's a doormat for a man ... work, ambition, success mean nothing if she ain't Suzy Homemaker at the end of the day. In fact being a "career woman" can be detrimental to your health, both physical and mental. The scene where Suzy Parker apologizes to Louis Jordan for discovering his cheating on her makes me retch. I always like this movie but see it as a warning shot fired across the bow of the emerging (at the time) feminist movement.
Pane e tulipani (2000)
"Middle-age crazy" is a snoozer
Tedious movie about an unappreciated middle-aged mom "finding herself." Good idea, good lead actress, but poorly executed. I squirmed in my seat a lot waiting for something to "happen." Most of the characters were complete stereotypes: kooky new-age hippie, oafish fat man, mysterious, enigmatic older gent, didactic boss, browbeating, overbearing father, and sullen kids.
Solo (1981)
Fun Britcom about single women in the 80's
Rather Mary Tyler Moore-ish, this Britcom follows the path of Gemma as she lives her life as a single woman, not too eager to marry longtime boyfriend, even the really dishy guy. The requisite mother who thinks a woman is nothing without a man is played not too tiresomely by Elspet Gray. Catch these if you can for a refreshing slice of 80's life.
Le placard (2001)
Wonderfully underplayed comedy
This is a truly hilarious, wonderfully acted comedy. What makes it work is that all the characters are subtly realized, even Gerard Depardieu as the "official" gay-basher.
I've been "burned" by French comedies before (i.e. the comedy doesn't translate well for Americans) but this is the exception. Very, very funny. I'm sure Hollywood will soon remake it in a bland, lifeless way, as they did Weber's "La Cage aux Folles."
Schindler's List (1993)
Powerfully story, but simplistic style
The Holocaust was a horrifying chapter of humanity. This movie, however, is a very simplistic story with brilliant acting by Neeson and Fiennes. Maybe it didn't need embellishment of emotional and directorial depth ... however, Spielberg isn't noted for his sublety. Well done, but curiously detached and disappointing. I only cried at the end, when the surviving members of Schindler's workforce visited his grave.
Vanishing Point (1971)
Not-at-all bad slice of the 1970s
I have to agree 100% with the reviewer above on this film. It's not simply a hokey car-chase -- but it has an additional aspect that makes it worth watching: a tasty slice of 1970s culture. Kowalski's big sideburns, the brown-tinted aviator sunglasses, the portrayal of a "soul" deejay, the hip-hugging bell-bottoms, the free-love biker chick, the Harley dude, surfboard culture, honky cops, "squares," they're all here.
An extra bonus is counting the number of times people say "dig?" and "right on." Good stuff, worth watching.
The Dark Corner (1946)
Great little-known film-noir
Watched this on American Movie Classics the other day ... what a great surprise. Witty dialogue with lots of clever innuendo, murky (but not annoyingly so) plot, and stark, moody lighting set the scene for the "typical" noir scenario in which the smart-cookie secretary (Lucille Ball) saves the private eye's hide. The costumes are also wonderful -- 1940s glamour all the way, from Lucy's tailored suits to the rich wife's evening gowns and nightie (gasp!).