jtdb Reviews

Into the Woods (2014)

If you're expecting a "happy Disney musical" this is not for you

[9/10 · 11 May 2017]

It is genuinely amazing how many people out there don't read anymore, as based on the huge number of negative reviews, many users 1) didn't know it was a musical; 2) didn't know it was on Broadway 30 years ago (and numerous times since); 3) got their knickers in a twist over the more "adult" material (faithful to the play and often right out of Grimm) and the more somber tone in Act II, and 4) hate the score. Going down the list: Yes, "Into the Woods" is a musical, but it was written by Stephen Sondheim ("Sweeney Todd" "Company" "Follies"), not Alan Mencken and co. It's supposed to be challenging music with lyrics that ask tough, hard questions about life, happiness, ambiguity, and "happily ever after." If you want simpler versions of these stories with more "hummable" songs, rent the other Disney versions. And yes, as it goes along, "Into the Woods" basically deconstructs fairy tale conventions by asking real-world queries: why is there suffering? Why does a "good person" die, but a "bad" person gets away with their behavior? Can you love someone and still be tempted by others? Etc. As far as the other more "adult" material: any Children's Lit course worth its salt references Bruno Bettelheim and his seminal work "The Uses of Enchantment"--the interplay between Red and the Wolf is apiece with that. (And really, squawking about the "violence" in the Cinderella story? Again, go to the source material.) As a lover of the show, I could carp about a couple things (losing the princes' reprise of "Agony"), but this is about as faithful and honorable an adaptation as one could ask of such a challenging, thorny show. You want an unchallenging, "happy" kids' musical? Go rent "Annie." For musical film lovers, "Into the Woods" may be the nerviest, most ambitious and unsettling musical since "Cabaret"--and that's meant as praise.

The Reflecting Skin (1990)

Quite possibly the most hateful film I've ever seen

[1/10 · 21 March 2017]

You ever wonder what kind of kids like to pulls the wings off of flies, or wallow in the lowest examples of humanity and then claim disingenuously that they're just "keeping it real?" This is a film for you--the worst of misanthropic Kubrick crossed with rock-bottom incomprehensible and lurid David Lynch. Some people think this is a masterpiece; they're welcome to it. Save the two hours of your life and avoid it--and them. (For a truly brilliant take on a disturbing subject that has flickers of insight and humanity--and a knockout performance from Joseph Gordon Leavitt--rent "Mysterious Skin" which deserves all the accolades this nasty, half-witted pile of garbage erroneously gets.)

Beginner's Guide to Sex (2015)

The horror, the horror

[2/10 · 2 January 2017]

Laugh-free, bizarrely-toned misfire unsure if it's a wild, raunchy sex comedy or a serious high school drama; unpleasant homophobic and racist stereotyping abound, not to mention an overload of profanity. Cast is mostly required to play things at the 2-dimensional level. This is the sort of thing that makes "Porky's"--or even "Wildcats"--look like "Citizen Kane" in comparison. To think of all the talented scripts out there in the world that lay languishing and never get made while something like this continues to circulate on pay cable is truly a discouraging thought; in case you haven't figured it out yet, this movie is not just bad--it's depressingly bad.

The One (II) (2011)

A great little romantic comedy with surprising depth--UNTIL THE END

[6/10 · 20 July 2011]

All I'm going to say is, I've rarely enjoyed a movie this much that makes such a serious, serious misstep in its final moments--especially after blatantly leading the audience to expect something (based on several key plot points). It's not just disappointing, it was heartbreaking and vaguely insulting, and the audience I saw it with was vocal in their displeasure and confusion. One more shot--one more!--would drag this C- movie up to an A- For the record, Ian Novick is absolutely wonderful in a tricky role as a party boy who winds up with his heart on his sleeve--it's a masterful little sketch of a shallow man suddenly forced into deeper waters. Please fix this movie ASAP--Novick's performance deserves it!

Dominick and Eugene (1988)

Shattering, brilliantly acted drama of two brothers

[10/10 · 8 December 2008]

Words are seriously not enough convey the emotional power of this film; it's one of the most wrenching you'll ever see, yet the ending is one of the most loving, tender, and emotionally fulfilling you could hope for. Every actor in every role is terrific, especially a wise and understated Jamie Lee Curtis, a tightly wound and anguished Ray Liotta, and a heart-stopping turn from Tom Hulce that should have had him up for every award in the book. (He's the #1 pick for 1988's Best Actor in Danny Peary's "Alternate Oscars.") The last half hour borders on melodrama, but the film earns every one of its tears--and unless you're made of stone, there will be plenty of them.

Boot Camp (1996)

Seems like just a short about a leather bar, but then...

[10/10 · 1 February 2008]

What's terrific about this is the way it undermines the audience's expectations so adroitly. The dark alley, the headlights, the slightly ominous flapping metal sign in the wind, the seedy interior...all combine to produce a feeling of curiosity mixed with slight dread. Then once the atmosphere has been thoroughly established and the viewer is having an "Oh my God, what am I in for" moment, the twist kicks in, and this turns into one of the most delicious comedic shorts you could ever hope for. It's best not to tell your friends the the gag; it makes it that much more delectable. Whatever happened to the scrumptious Matthew Solari?

Crash (I) (2004)

Well-intentioned, often gripping, but too facile to be honest

[6/10 · 21 August 2007]

As has been stated, there have been many incendiary films made about race and prejudice in America, notably Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing." There have also been numerous acclaimed pictures about the urban African-American experience made by filmmakers such as John Singleton ("Boyz in the Hood") and the Hughes Brothers ("Menace II Society"). There have also been numerous films made with large ensemble stories and multiple intersecting characters, especially in the films of Altman ("Nashville" "Short Cuts") and P.T. Anderson ("Magnolia"). And thus, pureeing all of the aforementioned together with some heavy white liberal guilt, you get "Crash." "Crash" has some outstanding acting and a clever structure, but it's also too tidy and too easy--the stereotypes presented on screen are too often just that: stereotypes. Moreover, the film reduces almost every character to their worst instincts and racist impulses (even when doing so defies rationality), and the film thus sacrifices logic and depth for scenes of emotional confrontation, hysteria, and shrillness. (The film's prejudices, interestingly, revolve almost exclusively around race, and never touch on religion or sexuality.) Worth seeing for some knockout work from Cheadle, Dillon, Newton, Howard, and others, but it's a darn shame that Spike Lee's oeuvre doesn't get the respect it deserves (nor, for that matter, did Altman's--at least not from the Oscars) while those who should know better slobbered over this picture. (Several of my white liberal friends loved it and spoke of it as being "SO important"; notably, several of my African-American friends hated it.) The highly mixed reviews worldwide that greeted this film when it came out are always going to follow it around like a stain, reminding folks that its bewildering current lionization (and the vitriol often simultaneously directed at "Brokeback Mountain") reveal more about prejudice than anything in "Crash" truly does. I'd be very interested, in a mirror of the Oscars, how many people really vote FOR "Crash" as opposed to voting AGAINST "Brokeback."

The Glass Menagerie (1987)

An astonishing performance by Karen Allen

[8/10 · 17 May 2005]

Stagey but handsome version of the Williams classic directed by Paul Newman. Fluid camera-work and beautiful lighting, an evocative score, and nice (if leisurely) pacing help immensely. The high school classes I showed this to didn't respond to Woodward's Amanda, though she certainly nails the comedy of the piece; however, it's a very animated performance, with flutey vocal mannerisms that can grate on one. (I've not seen the Hepburn performance, but she often gets criticized for the same thing; however, I'd love to see her tackle the dramatic stuff.) James Naughton is solid, if a bit stolid, as the gentleman caller. Malkovich etches a remarkable portrayal of Tom--defiantly unafraid of the character's possible gay subtext--that grows in poignancy to a heartbreaking final monologue. But it's Karen Allen's Laura that is the heart of this piece--if you've only seen her in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" or "Scrooged," you'll be astounded at her ability to cut straight to your heart with just her eyes. She's truly unforgettable.