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Jim-229
Reviews
Limbo (1999)
A disappointment from a great director
John Sayles has made extraordinary films, notably LONE STAR. Unfortunately, LIMBO is an uneven work. The glance at a small town gradually wearing away its inhabitants was done much better in LONE STAR. The film's unexpected shift to a wilderness survival motif undercuts the idea of developers turning Alaska into a theme park. I could appreciate the controversial way the film ended, but it will annoy many moviegoers. And, sadly, the film just bored much of the time.
eXistenZ (1999)
An intriguing metafictional horror(ish) film
eXistenZ is an involving, reality-warping movie that plays with the notions of reality, violence, and filmmaking. This is a thoroughly gruesome movie, with several unnerving (at least) scenes. But the questions the film raises about what we want in our games (the violence, the gore, the fact that they make reality duller) are involved. I also laughed at the way the comments about the game reflected on the movie itself ("I thought that character was flat and one-dimensional"). If you want something intriguing, if disgusting, see eXistenZ.
Cube (1997)
Sci-Fi/Horror/Existentialism blend!
This movie is an impressive blend of several genres, offering excellent tension and few answers. A varied group of strangers find themselves trapped in a massive cube, where each room only has 6 entrances to other rooms which may contain lethal traps. This deceptively simple device leads us down several roads (is this hell? aliens? giv't conspiracy?), the strengths and flaws of the people, and a climax that is intriguing without revealing. With the sorry state of horror movies today, THE CUBE is a refreshing quality film.
Living in Oblivion (1995)
It helps if you're making films
Not nearly as funny as I'd expected, LIVING IN OBLIVION seems too geared towards people who are actually involved in making independent films. If you've had trouble with props, or had to deal with pretentious hacks, this might be hilarious; for the rest of us, it takes far too long to get going. You don't need to be in a band to love THIS IS SPINAL TAP, or be involved with theatre to like WAITING FOR GUFFMAN. But LIVING IN OBLIVION feels more like an in-joke than a hilarious comedy.
Bakersfield P.D. (1993)
One of the greatest shows to end far too soon.
BAKERSFIELD P.D. was a thoroughly incredible show, one that ended far too quickly. With the quirkiness of shows like NORTHERN EXPOSURE or ALLY McBEAL, BPD showed us life among a very odd collection of cops in a small, slow town. This show had excellent visual gags, great writing, and beautiful oddness. (Who can forget when they found an arm, and kept it in a big pickle jar?) If you get a chance to see this 1-season show, watch it, tape it, and love it.
Showgirls (1995)
Possibly the low point of American cinema
This is a thoroughly wretched movie. Incredibly giving porn a bad name, SHOWGIRLS not only has the typical non-existent plot and bad acting of a skin flick, it also obviates any t&a value by tossing in a disturbing scene guaranteed to leave a bad taste in the mouths of viewers who found this drivel arousing. The best that can be said is that it isn't bad to look at. That's not much. SHOWGIRLS is flashy exploitation that fails on all levels.