Change Your Image
sharlenescott
Reviews
Mansfield Park (1983)
The Good and Bad
This adaptation is very true to the book. However the actress portraying Fanny was not the best choice. Sometimes she seemed like she was thinking through her acting choices at the moment she was saying her lines. She was either under or overacting many scenes. Some of her expressions and hand movements for emphasis were almost comical. The male leads playing Tom and Edmund seemed both to be good choices. The actor portraying Henry Crawford was also fine in the part. .i liked the other females leads playing Aunt Norris and Mary Crawford. Aunt Bertram seemed more like the village idiot and not the great lady of a wealthy family. However, by miscasting the most crucial role of Fanny, this adaptation fell flat for me. I would not recommend it.
Shining Through (1992)
Melanie Impossible
I had never seen this WWII spy flick prior till tonight. I tuned in because I saw Liam Neeson's name in the credits. I found this movie barely watchable. Melanie Griffith's narration in her dizzy girl voice drove me to distraction. The plot and dialogue were ridiculous (secretaries got to chime in during top secret briefings in the 40's and volunteer johnny-on- the -spot to be a spy)Michael Douglas seemed wooden and bored. The two leads Griffith and Douglas had no chemistry whatsoever. My favorite part was when Mel's newly minted secret spy bag's hidden compartment popped open in front of the SS guy and he barely blinks. He looks at her papers then leaves. Basically everyone else had to look dumber than Melanie, the dumbest spy the Allies ever unleashed on Germany. Another implausible moment was when the character has the bright idea of taking the kiddies of SS officer Liam Neeson to a Jewish ghetto to find her relatives . As soon as they got home, the kids tells dad all about their little adventure and he doesn't seem curious or angry that they were put in serious danger! So much of this was bad or poorly executed. Don't waste your time waiting for any shining moments in "Shining Through."