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zehlers
Reviews
The Green Man (1990)
soft core Brit porn/ horror movie elevated by Albert Finney...
I love anything Albert Finney does. A friend loaned Green Man to me because I had lent him A Man of No Importance. He said if I liked Albert Finney, I had to see this one. It was kind of like a bad acid trip mixed with marginal porn, a ghost story and a dollop of gore thrown in for good measure, but despite the dreadful special effects and the silly, disjointed plot, I enjoyed it. I got a kick out of the priest and Josie Lawrence too. Worth seeing just for it's strangeness, and Albert, of course...The religious stuff felt confusing at times. There are some fun bits, the wife and mistress running off together made me laugh. The father was charming. The scenery was gorgeous, and the idea of a haunted inn in Cambridge was just too good to pass up.
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
I wanted to love this movie, but I couldn't...
My son and daughter-in-law dragged me to see Million Dollar Baby. My son works in the film industry and is hard to impress, so whenever he is excited about a movie, I expect great things from it. Maybe it was the genre. I think men beating each other up is just senseless, so maybe women beating each other up was just too much for me. The movie felt very "Movie of the Week" to me. From the time the Blue Bear came on the screen, I knew that she was going to kill Maggie. I didn't know how or when it would happen, and the thematic element of her paralysis was a surprise, but I wasn't surprised by the solution. I have a couple of friends who have had to make that decision for loved ones. Maybe that's why the action Frankie took didn't shock me. I cry at MacDonald's commercials, but I was only really choked up the first time Maggie went in the ring with her Mo Cuchla (sp?) robe. I should have been a puddle. I adore Morgan Freeman and he was lovely to watch as always. Hilary Swank was brilliant, and so was Clint Eastwood. The cinematography was beautiful, yet, I was strangely unmoved by the film. I'm not sure what went wrong. Maybe it was the hype. Maybe it was the feeling I had from the beginning that Maggie was looking for her own death. Tragic things happen to wonderful people every day, but she chose her tragedy. Maybe it was her stock hillbilly family, one dimensional and stupid. I really wanted to respect this movie as much as I respect Boys Don't Cry, but sadly, I couldn't. I plan to see it again. Maybe when I'm not wondering how she'll die, I'll be able to appreciate the story more.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
I will see it again!
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is very simply a brilliant film. From the gorgeous cinematography to the odd special effects and the uniformly excellent performances, it is a winner. It may be too edgy for some, as it treats relationships in a realistic and gritty way, but if you like your movies a bit off center, and you want to be thinking of them several days later, this one's for you! Jim Carrey gives a beautifully understated performance as the sad and insecure Joel. (Hopefully he, like Bill Murray and Robin Williams, will finally be recognized for the wonderful actor he is.) Kate Winslet's characterization of the strange and wonderful Clementine is spot on and Mark Ruffalo and Elijah Wood are delightfully creepy. Kirsten Dunst is skilled at portraying damaged characters that seem OK on the surface. I saw the story as a metaphor for death. Even when everything is gone, there is still something left... Let's hope Charlie Kaufman has more stories like this up his sleeve.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Edward Gorey meets John Irving
This film reminded me of Hotel New Hampshire. The characters were dark and well crafted and I liked the unique use of art throughout the movie. I think it was a difficult film for non-creative people to understand and relate to, and those with more conservative taste might be shocked by it's themes. I appreciated it's surreal quality. All in all, I found it to be a pleasure, odd, fun, and strangely moving.