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dianeRR
Reviews
Rent (2005)
A soul-less lip-syncing music video devoid of plot or character depth.
I'm really shocked. I expected to love this film after all I heard about the wonderful stage play. I had trouble sitting through the film and almost turned it off. It's a very talented cast stuck in a soul-less lip-syncing music video devoid of plot or character depth. They sing tragedy with inexplicable cheeriness. I never saw the play, but if it's anything like the movie, I don't feel I missed anything! I have a strange feeling A LOT got lost in translation. Hopefully the play defined the characters better. Perhaps the movie needed more exposition to define each character and why they were doing what they did (though this did get better in the second half). I had a hard time caring about the characters until near the end, and even then I never stopped being aware that I was watching actors acting. The plot, such as it was, felt chopped and contrived. The main theme song and several others were beautiful; the rest I felt impatient for them to end. As the movie finished, my first thought was "I'm glad I never paid the $90 for a ticket to the play!"
Traffik (1989)
Skip the anemic 2000 American remake and watch this one!
I was disappointed with the recent (2000) American remake of this English mini-series. Though it followed the plot line very closely, it seemed to leave the heart and soul of the original out. Not to mention adding shallow preachy heavy-handed 'messages'... So my advice is to skip the modern remake and stick with the original. It's much longer, but gripping and totally well done. Interesting, complex and textured, without the preachy self-righteousness... and it's beautifully shot, as well.
I find it galling that these heartless remakes of great overseas films get so much Hollywood fanfare at the Oscars. (Though I did like Benicio Del Torro getting some deserved praise...)