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Reviews
The Gingerbread Man (1998)
Fine ingredients yet leaves a bad taste
The Gingerbread Man has all the ingredients of a fine movie. A respected director, a script by a best-selling author, and a well-rounded cast, all of whom succeed in stretching their abilities. The question of why the movie crumbles, seeming more like a mediocre television show than a movie, lies with Grisham's set of unlovable characters and a director who, disrespectful of his audience's intelligence, gives away the entire pending two-hour plot within the first ten minutes of the movie by his choice of camera shots.
The cast, each out of the respective genres that made them famous, deliver unexpectedly fine performances. Yet their characters suffer from existing as Hollywood stereotypes of Southerners whose greed, stupidity, and amorality are not grounded in the audience's reality. The movie does manage to attain a high level of suspense, yet it is difficult to muster any compassion for a sleazy dolt of an attorney, his obviously manipulative one-night stand, and a uni-dimensional supporting cast. After viewing The Gingerbread Man you'll want two hours of your life back.
The Big Sleep (1946)
Anything but sleepy
The electric sexual tension of Bogey and Bacall grounded by a taut, well-executed plot, and set against a backdrop of swanky gansters, old money, and gin joint innuendo makes this film a delicious, inimitable piece of American film-making. Like all great films, it leaves the viewer aching to join a fantasy best left to the world of celluloid.
Laura (1944)
off the beaten path film noir
Gene Tierney turns in a wonderful performance as Laura, a savvy, headstrong, young professional with horrific taste in men. Her murder leads a handsome, tell-it-like-he-sees-it detective, Dana Andrews, to unravel the plot by investigating the smarmy dandies in her life. Brilliant directing by Preminger and the physical presence of the leads negates the trite character acting, keeping the viewer guessing who done it until the end. A must see classic that film noir aficianados will appreciate.
The Thin Man (1934)
a wickedly funny romp
The Thin Man is everything that today's movies are not. Sophisticated, witty, and rife with clever reparte. It is a ten-star jewel not to be missed.