Change Your Image
luciajohnson22
Reviews
My Suicidal Sweetheart (2005)
Max & Grace - spoilers, I guess
Saw this at the South by Southwest Film Festival.
I'm not a fan of Natasha Lyonne but she's a great crazy in this one. Part drugged-out crazy person, part un-inhibited smart-ass, she just seems to smolder on the screen. Maybe smolder is not the right word, but her presence is very powerful. And I don't think that's a mistake because we have to believe that Max (David Krumholtz) could fall in love at first sight with a highly medicated Grace. That he would turn his back on his life-long hobby of aborted suicides because she is his mission, his reason to live. Krumholtz is great. Sometimes he says more about Max's struggle with his crazy, suicidal wife with the raise of his eyebrow then the kinda schmaltzy narration can convey in a full minute of chatter. Add to the mix Tim Blake Nelson, as all of the people Max consults with on the best way to "fix" Grace, and you've got a pretty damn good cast.
That narration, while sometimes funny and well timed, often strayed in an overly-flowery, quasi-Chaucer, poetry, yadda yadda mess and is probably the only this I can fault the film for (and that's Michael Parness' fault since he not only directs but wrote the screenplay). Krumholtz gives it the old college try, but even his little crackly inflection can't help it.
I would warn those with a low-tolerance for sexual content, Max & Grace do it like rabbits. And if you live in Sheybogin, Michagin you might be offended that your town is characterized as the Home of Depression.
A Wrinkle in Time (2003)
Not the books, but ok anyway.
My sister and I were ecstatic when we found out that they were finally playing this. We took time out of our busy finals week to sit down and watch the whole thing. And while it kept us entertained for the whole 3 hours, there were a lot of times we were like "Was that in the book? Where are they getting this stuff?"
So I guess my advise is, if you're a book purist, try to forget this is based on it and enjoy it for the cute fluff piece it is. The book is a whole different (and better) experience.
On to the movie. I think Gregory Smith was good as Calvin (even though he isn't a redhead) and the little kid was good too. Meg was a little forced I thought. Maybe it's the inexperience of the actress, but she didn't feel like the stubborn but warm Meg of the books.
All in all, it was a pleasant experience.