robertg-9 Reviews

Enigma (2001)

Something went wrong here

[14 October 2002]

I really looked forward to seeing this because of all the people who worked on it. But as I watched it I kept thinking that something must have gone terribly wrong. The script - by the incredible Tom Stoppard, of all people -- was awkwardly constructed! Characters did things that were so breath-takingly stupid that I had to wonder if they were doing these things just to keep the plot moving along, or whether Stoppard was really trying to show that these brilliant characters were also complete idiots.

I can't much fault the actors because they have to follow Stoppard's script and Apted's direction. And why there should have been problems with those two men is baffling. Like this whole film. I always expect a puzzle of some kind from Stoppard, but the only puzzle for the first three-quarters of this film was how these characters could be behaving so foolishly. All the flashback scenes to Claire were infuriating in the way they undermined the main character without ever offering us any insight into WHY he was behaving in this way. I have a strange feeling the director decided to try to goose the story up and messed up more character development than he could finally correct. SOMETHING important got sacrificed.

I really liked Dougray Scott in this role because he looked a mess, giving himself over completely to expressing his character's fragile state. Kate Winslet was very solid -- and refreshing as the only character who didn't seem be (foolishly) hiding something she shouldn't be.

The last quarter of the film really picks up the pace and becomes another film entirely. Unfortunately in the process everyone steps even more out of character. Hard to believe, but at least not boring.

Chelsea Walls (2001)

hard to watch; hard to forget

[15 August 2002]

I've just seen the dvd of Chelsea Walls and the one thing that seems to be missed by all the other people who have commented on the film is that the screenplay was written by actress Nicole Burdette and existed first as a stage play by her.

Ethan Hawke seems to be getting all the blame for this films lack of narrative structure, but did the play have any? I seriously doubt it. I don't think it was something that Hawke removed just for the film. The script is made up mostly of behavior. Behavior is the kind of thing that serious writers work very hard to expunge from their work in an effort to get to the real meat -- the story or narrative, the thing that the writer needs to say. Chelsea Walls is not that. It plunges the viewer into behavior without any effort to explain what you're watching or who the characters are. This is definitely not what most people expect or want when they go to the movies.

Still though, the actors are very capable, and they are mostly really wonderful to watch. If Burdette had given them the telephone directory to read they probably would have made it at least a little interesting to sit and watch for a while, just because of who they are.

What Hawke, his editor and cameraman have put together here is an ultimately haunting and very poetic experience. I too, like others, have found it very hard to get out of my system. Images and moments from the film still haunt me. There are bits that are true and extremely beautiful in this film, things that are very keenly observed. That, I believe, is what Ethan Hawke brought to Burdette's script.

It was never a very commercial project, but, jeez, all the stones that people are hurling at him seem a little excessive.

Waking the Dead (2000)

A Great Performance - Infuriating Film

[5/10 · 27 January 2001]

First off let me say that Billy Crudup's performance in Waking the Dead is simply great. He's always been interesting to watch, in whatever I've seen him in, but because this film is so infuriating in so many ways I found myself more appreciative than ever of the skill of this man.

A story of undying love should be a wonderful and moving thing, but for me the great flaw of this film is that I didn't for a moment believe that these two people would want to be together longer than to share a cup of coffee -- and even then not without the direct intervention of some satanic power.

Since they have nothing in common and no shared points of view or interests, the fact that the film simply steps over this problem as if it isn't even there asks too much of the viewer.

The character of Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) is so committed to her views of political-social right and wrong that she trashes her lovers career hopes over and over without the slightest concern for the ramifications for him. Her committments are all for mankind, all intellectual, none are emotional, none personal, and emphatically not for him. This man and his happiness interest her not in the least. And he smiles thru it all.

There's lots of love-making so they must be in love. That's as much as the film-makers can provide to hang this entire premise on.

I don't buy it.

But, man, it was HUGELY interesting to watch Billy Crudup tower over everything else here.

Just Write (1997)

Small feel-good romance

[10 December 2000]

This film has enough off-center elements to keep you hanging on while it slowly moves you through all the expected plot points.

The main thing it has going for it is Jeremy Piven, a very smart and inventive actor -- even here, where he pulls out all the stops just to keep things afloat. And he's just the actor for the job. His energy seems to raise the standard for the other actors as well, not that they haven't all done good work before; but he gives them all something to respond to and they seem to rise to the occasion with some equally inventive turns.

Thank goodness. This small romance needs whatever help it can get to convince you to hang in there with it. It pays off in the end exactly the way you knew it would, it's just that it takes so long to go exactly where you knew it was going.

In the Flesh (1998)

Improves Vastly As It Goes

[7/10 · 25 August 2000]

After a very disheartening beginning this story moves quickly (but not quickly enough) towards what it is really all about: trust between men. Ben Taylor chose a stalking killer as a plot device, unfortunately the identity of the killer is not much of a mystery. Nevertheless the main focus really is the two male leads and their coming together is explored in ways you don't often get to see in gay-themed films. High praise to Taylor for making an effort to present us with something a little bit different. The two male leads (Ritter and Corbin) are very good together and their performances are far better than I ever expected them to be. Sometimes the script-director is to be thanked, but very often it seems to be the determination and commitment of the actors who pull the film up by its boot straps. Dane Ritter is rivetting. He seems to hit every mark that the story sets for him. All in all, a film that is well worth seeing ... if you can get past the first several minutes.

Desert Winds (1994)

Unique and earnest effort

[17 August 2000]

I'm always looking to discover small films that might hold something unique and interesting, so when I read a comment about Desert Winds that caught my interest I decided to watch it. And I'm not sorry I did. I should state right up front that this will almost definitely not be to everyone's taste because there is almost no action and there is a lot of dialogue -- or monologue, depending on how you want to view it. But it will also be a very pleasant experience for many out there, possibly the same group of viewers who remember Richard Linklater's film Before Sunrise with pleasure. I was constantly being reminded of that film while watching Desert Winds. Even though the production values of this film show a limited budget it is still very well conceived and executed despite that. Michael Nickles and Heather Graham were never uninteresting to watch and listen to as they tentatively revealed themselves to each other across a huge chasm. The whole idea and concept was intriguing. While Nickles still has a way to go as a writer, he clearly is on his way there and I will definitely be interested in whatever else he does.

Net Worth (2001)

More and less than expected

[6/10 · 22 May 2000]

This is a film with such an intriguing premise that I wish they had put more effort into the characters and story-line beforehand.

It has a very capable cast who over and over again pull the film up to a higher level than its really earned. In the end I was moved and touched by the characters -- even while I was aware of being manipulated. But as I said, the premise is worthy and the actors are really making an effort.

In the end it left me thinking, which is more than most films do. And it's always nice to see these actors in almost anything so there is definitely an upside to it.

It's in the Water (1997)

The Good the Bad and the Ugly

[4/10 · 21 May 2000]

This is a very strange amalgamation of brutally embarrassing stereotypes mixed with insights and issues that I can't remember having seen addressed by a gay-related film before.

The main lesbian relationship is handled in a satisfying and balanced manner and the secondary gay relationship has some nice elements as well. Worth seeing.

But these are surrounded with such jaw-dropping stereotypes -- both gay and straight -- that I was left wondering how these could be co-existing in the same film, written and directed by the same person. The difference is so extreme you could get whip-lash.

Performance quality is all over the map, characters are given prime placement in the story but nothing comes of them. The best thing the film has going for it is the central lesbian and gay characters; the worst thing is that they are given cartoon characters to interact with.