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joelduplessis
Reviews
The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico (2005)
A caricature of the 1970's rockstar life that's so outrageous it's believable, so believable it's funny
I just finished watching this "honky-tonkumentary" and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is compelling, it is funny, it has surprisingly good music, but most of all, it is thoroughly believable. The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico has a feeling of authenticity about it that few mockumentaries can match. The acting is superb. Best of all are the interviews about Guy Terrifico with real stars (Ronnie Hawkins, Merle Haggard, Chris Kristofferson, etc.). They come across sounding so impromptu, that I wonder whether they were scripted or in fact improvised? Actually, I found myself wondering the same thing often throughout the movie. Nothing seems put on or forced. When Guy and the band are writing their music, it really seems that the actors are playing and singing the songs for the first time. And as much as I generally dislike country, the soundtrack was amazing - definitely worth buying. Most of the humour in the film comes from the outrageous way it caricatures the lives of 1970's rockstars: it's so outrageous it's believable; it's so believable, it's funny. There is so much to recommend about this film that I can't imagine anyone disliking it.
The New World (2005)
And let's end with one more shot of that rock in the creek while the orchestra warms up some more.
I heard somewhere that The New World was going to explode some of the myths surrounding John Smith and Pocahontas. It would inject the story with new vibrancy and excitement, while paying careful attention to historical accuracy. Boy, was I misinformed.
The New World is a pretty film. There are lots of beautiful sequences of rocks and streams and trees and grass (fuzzy grass, prickly grass, green grass, brown grass, lots of grass). Now and then, some humans intrude, but they usually don't say or do anything, other than dance and frolic in the grass. When they do speak, it's off-screen, so you can't be sure whether they're actually talking or just thinking. But don't worry too much that their dialogue will interrupt the mesmerizing bird sounds and water noise -- only rarely do they finish an entire sentence longer than three words. Mostly, the characters say, or perhaps think, scintillating repartee like: "He is a tree." "Who are you?" "I like grass."
You know you've arrived at an exciting part when the incessant orchestral soundtrack wells to a crescendo. It's very lovely and soothing, like the sound of a bathtub running in the next room. With about as much direction and discernible melody. Have you ever listened to a string ensemble warming up? It's slightly discordant, but pretty-sounding nonetheless. The New World let's you enjoy that nondescript droning for an entire feature length film!
In sum, the set was amazing, the cinematography breathtaking, and Colin Farrell's unchanging puppy dog expression endearing (to a point). But it felt like the longest movie I have ever sat through. And it certainly did not debunk any myths about Powhatan-English encounter. It's still a love story between a teen-aged "noble savage" princess drawn by helpless love to throw herself upon a thoughtful, brave, and kind American and save his life (rather than, as current scholarship suggests, a nine year old daughter of a powerful king, instructed by her father to symbolically intercede for the arrogant and cruel Englishman so that Powhatan could demonstrate not only his power to execute, but also his capacity to show mercy). Don't watch this, unless you bring your yoga mat.
Ocean's Twelve (2004)
As good as the first, but far funnier!
With a cast like this, I knew the acting would be amazing. Still, I was cautious, as I always am of sequels. Would it sustain the feeling of the first film? Could they possibly replicate the tension and thrill of the masterful heist of Ocean's 11? We'll never know, because they didn't try. At least, not in the way I expected. Instead, they made a light and truly funny parody of the heist genre. If you want a gripping, logical heist, don't watch this. If you want a good laugh, with witty dialogue, quirky characters, and an absolutely genius scene where Julia Roberts has to impersonate herself, then you'll love Ocean's 12.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
It's not a horror, it's a drama. And it's a great one.
Those who were disappointed by this movie were those who went expecting a horror or a supernatural thriller. While it is deeply disturbing and occasionally frightening, The Exorcism of Emily rose is not The Exocist, nor does it try to be. Rather, it is a thought- provoking legal drama that challenges the viewer's presuppositions about the relative authority of spiritual versus physiological explanations for human experience. As the court case surrounding Emily's fatal exorcism unfolds, the jurors -- and by extension, the movie- goers -- are faced with a conundrum, expressed by Roger Ebert as follows: "A juror who does not believe in demons must find the priest guilty, if perhaps sincere. A juror who does believe in demons must decide if Emily Rose was really possessed, or misdiagnosed. In a case like this, during the jury selection, are you qualified or disqualified by believing one way or the other?" In other words, is a secular prejudice any more (or less) valid than a spiritual one? The Exorcism of Emily Rose leaves this question unanswered, just as did the real case of Anneliese Michel on which the film is based.
Horror film buffs tend to like their monsters outlandish and their plots twisted, so that their entertainment never threatens the normalacy of their real life. This movie challenges that neat separation by offering a plot that is more human than twisted, and a monster that exists and operates in the everyday world of hundreds of millions of everyday human beings. An overworked musical score and unsatisfying character development of Emily does not detract from the effect. In the end, The Exorcism of Emily Rose is well worth watching for anyone who is prepared to think and be challenged, if not disturbed.